hi

Pronunciation

• IPA: /haɪ/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English hy,^[2][3] probably a variant of Middle English hei, hey,^[4][3] a natural exclamation.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

An exclamation to attract attention: probably before 1500,^[4] about 1475,^[6] or the 15th century.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

As a greeting it is from 1862, in American English,^[4][3][6] first recorded in a reference to the speech of a Kansas Indian.^[3] The Century Dictionary (1902) still defined it only as an exclamation of surprise or admiration, often ironic, so its development as a greeting mostly took place in the early 20th century.^[3] In 1922 Emily Post's Etiquette warned that it should never be said in answer to a formal introduction, though it was universally used by the young.^[3] Hiya is from 1940.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1475 – a call for attention.^[6]
• 1862 – a greeting (American English).^[4][6]
• 1922 – disapproved by Emily Post.^[3]
• 1940 – hiya.^[3]

Modern meaning

Interjection

1. Used as a greeting; hello.
2. (dated) Used to attract attention.

Related words

• hey
• hello
• hiya
• high

Usage notes

Hi is also an informal spelling of high in commercial use, as in hi-fi, from 1911.^[6][5] The Old English pronoun hi, “they; her”, is unrelated.^[6]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press